Amazing what types of stories the wire services and the Honduran press pick up these days. An AP article in the May 21 La Prensa told the tale of a supposed US corporation that is floating a plan to develop the Cisne islands which belong to Honduras. The diminutive and minute speck of island lies 220km off the coast of La Mosquitia. 

According to press reports the firm, Swan Island Development is planning to construct a tourism complex that will compete with, and get this, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlan. Yeah, right! According to the report, the firm is set to invest two billion dollars in the project, which will create 5,000 jobs. A web page posted by the company outlined plans to build a city on the island to be called Cignet complete with: casinos, clubs, restaurants, supermarkets, banks, jewelry shops and movie theaters. At the present time the only inhabitants are the 10 wind blown and homesick residents of a remote Honduran military base located on the island. The web page also announced that Swan Island Development would purchase the island from the Honduran government, which was labeled as ridiculous by Honduran President Ricardo Maduro, as the island is a National Marine Park and cannot be sold.

It is amazing to me how first of all the AP wire service picked up the story and second how the largest circulation daily in Honduras could possibly print such a blatantly silly story. A web page detailing plans that a company would sink billions into a tiny, miniscule, remote morsel of an island, in the middle of nowhere, should give pause to any thinking individual to ponder the likelihood that the whole story is little more than an elaborate internet prank by a lone hacker/troublemaker intent on causing a little "havoc." I'm sure the story didn't even warrant a tiny column in the U.S. press, but in Honduras the story ran in La Prensa on page five with a large headline screaming: " U.S. Company announces that it will invest $2 billion in the Cisne Islands. 

I would file this one with the long forgotten and seldom missed, Trujillo mega cruise ship idea, remember that one? Some guys from the states came up with the hair brained idea to construct a cruise ship so big that it would be a virtual city on the seas, complete with airport, casinos, restaurants, hospital, shopping centers, golf course, condominiums, etc. The mega ship was to built in Trujillo Bay of all places, due to it's abundance of cheap labor and lack of government regulation. I wonder if those guys have any relation to the Cisne Island project; now that would make a great investigative journalism piece for AP to go after.

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Copan Ruinas is just about ready to emerge from it's annual May "Low n' Slow Season," as June approaches with it's afternoon tropical showers which bring July flowers, Copan Ruinas, and Honduran tourism in general, begins to pick up in preparation for the long awaited July and August Happy n' High ' season. Many Americans and what seems like the entire population of certain European countries like France and Italy head off on fun in the sun holidays in search of that perfect tan, the coldest beer imaginable and the freshest seafood, all with a little culture thrown in for spice, along with a healthy dose of high adrenaline/ high fun activities such as reef diving. And in case you haven't yet got the hint, Honduras with its awesome variety of tourism products fits the bill quite nicely thank you.

 Reef dive on Roatan, pig out on lobster on remote Guanaja, get funky with the Euro backpacker/diver crowd on Utila, immerse your mind in the Maya culture and history of Copan, and engage in some world class jungle trekking in the Honduran equivalent of the Amazon rainforest in La Mosquitia. Just a few of the unique tourism products that Honduras is offering up this Summer 2002. Honduras is gonna be hot this summer, so get yourself down here and join in the action, and tell 'em Copan Update sent ya. 

The recently inaugurated Balam tourist police force in Tela in all their finery.

TELA - The recently inaugurated Balam tourist police force in Tela in all their finery. This special team of police as well as protecting the visitor was also trained in human relations to deal with tourists. As part of the war on crime initiated by the new President, Ricardo Maduro, 15 officers form part of a pilot program that is expected to extend to other tourist destinations around the nation; Balam is the Mayan word for jaguar. (Isis Nuñez)

Hotel Review: Barcelo Palma Real Beach Resort

By DON PEARLY

LA CEIBA - In a recent interview with Mr. Rico Raspaldo, the new director of the Barcelo Palma Real Beach Resort located at Playa Roma near La Ceiba, it was learned that the beautiful hotel is gearing up for a very busy off-season. They are offering everyone both here in Honduras and abroad an all-inclusive daily rate of US$ 68.00 (plus tax based on double occupancy). This reasonable fee entitles the visitor to a marvelous and spacious room near the swimming pool area, all the snacks and beverages they want, access to the beach facilities, the pool facilities, the lounges and in the evenings, the new and exciting discotheque.

The meals are elegantly served island buffet style and every night brings a new surprise. One night is Mexican night, another international night, another Spanish night and their famous barbecue night. All you can eat and drinks are included.

On special occasions, floorshows include a comedy night, a tropical review, a lip-synch show and their international extravaganza. Children are more than welcome and receive a special rate of only $ 21.00, which gives them access to other special snacks and menus. There is even an exclusive kids club for their entertainment. This rate is available for children between the ages of 2 and 12 years of age when accompanied by their parents.

Honduran President Maduro and Tourism Minister Thierry de Pierrefeu have both been there and Miss Latina America, Claudia Cruz just completed an enjoyable stay. The entertainer Ms. Lisa Lopez, now deceased brought her entire group for a visit and spoke of definite plans to return and stay at the hotel.

The Barcelo is looking not only for the foreign traveler but also for the Honduran party set. Individuals and families from Tegucigalpa, San Pedro and of course La Ceiba are beginning to make this their get-away location. With 130 rooms available and a total of 161 by June 2nd, the Barcelo is looking forward to a wonderful beginning and a successful ending to the year 2002. 

Sombreros off this week to Lisa Marie Collins, who in a matter of weeks will be receiving her PhD in archeology from Harvard. Lisa, a longtime friend of Copan Update did her dissertation on the faunal remains of Copan found mainly in the 10L-2 area around the Acropolis and a few other surrounding areas. In a layman's' nutshell, her research revolved around trying to prove the existence of a slave class at Copan through bones recovered: i.e. bones with lesser amounts of meat mean that they were of a lower class (lower leg bones and fingers/toes and such) and the fact that they were eating lots of things like agouti and possum as well, as opposed to the nice big bones which would have the nice cuts of meat which probably signified more upper class inhabitants. ¡Felicidades Dra. Lisa de parte todos tus amigos aqui en Copan!

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Whilst Honduras takes its first tentative steps at beefing up it's advertising and marketing budget at the Ministry of Tourism, other nearby countries (and competitors) are taking big giant steps forward. Panama for example will invest in the next 8 months, $10 million in a tourism promotion campaign aimed at increasing the number of foreign visitors, especially cruise ships. Panama now has two ports, one on the Caribbean side and one on the Atlantic side (with the canal linking the two) that are ready to host the big cruise ships. Panama is pegging it's tourism future on converting itself into a homeport for many cruise ships. Since 2000, Panama was host to 71 cruise ships carrying 78,000 tourists at it's Caribbean port. This year the number of ships could reach 130 and the number of tourists 150,000 with the opening of the new Pacific port, Fuerte Amador.

And for those out of the loop, Honduras has quietly, yet steadily been increasing it's share of the cruise ship pie. Roatan has become an increasingly popular cruise ship destination in the last couple of years.

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According to the latest figures, last year tourism to Central America increased 4.2% in relation to 2000 with more than 4.5 million tourists arriving. However due in part to the 9/11 terrorist incident, the increase was lower than in 2000 when a 10% increase in tourism was registered.

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According to banking officials in Honduras, although 36% of all bank deposits in the country are in dollar accounts, the country will require some five years to be able to dollarize it's economy. El Salvador and Ecuador have seen great success of late in their dollarization process.

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Not only Honduras has been hit by the falling international price of coffee and the increase in gas prices, the rest of Central America has also been hit hard. According to official figures Central America has lost some $2.2 billion in 2001.